Thursday, January 24, 2013

12:12 For I will go through the land of
Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt,
both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments:
I am the LORD.

I will pass: like a king who passes from place to place,
and with one passing and in one moment they are all smitten. — [from Mechilta]every
firstborn in the land of Egypt: Even other firstborn who are in Egypt [will
die]. Now how do we know that even the firstborn of the Egyptians who are in
other places [will die]? Therefore, Scripture states: “To Him Who smote the
Egyptians with their firstborn” (Ps. 136:10). — [from Mechilta] both
man and beast: [I.e., first man and then beast.] He who started to sin first
from him the retribution starts. — [from Mechilta]and upon all the gods of Egypt-: The one
made of wood will rot, and the one made of metal will melt and flow to the
ground. — [from Mechilta] will I wreak judgments-I The Lord: I by
Myself and not through a messenger. — [from Passover Haggadah]

Why man and beast – I wonder if they did not threaten the Jews
with dogs and have like gladiator battles before Pharaoh. The retribution on
the first born, Pharaoh was warned that Israel is HASHEM’s first born son and
it naturally follows that false gods are destroyed. Plural Judgements is used
because of man, animals and gods.

13 And the blood shall be to you for a
token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over
you, and there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the
land of Egypt.

The blood of the sacrifice will prevent your blood
– so we learn that a Korban is in place of us or at least a thanksgiving for
getting through a danger. The blood on the doorposts was only for Mitzrayim and
not for all generations. Nowadays we have a Mezuzah with the name
Shin-Dalet-Yud on the outside and the Shema on the inside which is quite a
strong protection of the individuals of the household.

14 And this day shall be unto you for
a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD; throughout your
generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.

The evening and day of Pessach is perhaps the
most ingrained holiday of the Jewish People. 87% of the Israelis or more have a
Seder. Even a place like Kibbutz Rupin has a Seder for it is the symbol of
freedom of the people not only from oppression but the start of the people as a
nation.

15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened
bread; howbeit the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for
whosoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that
soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Kibbutz Einat has a very tasty bread and Challah
Bakery and they wanted to be of the highest Kashrus to sell to the town of
Petach Tikva. They are a Mapam aka Mertz Kibbutz of the far left and were
anti-observant but they needed the business of Petach Tikva, Rosh HaAyin and
vicinity and lo and behold they sold their Chametz for Pessach and the only
bread one can obtain on Pessach is from an near-by Arab town. The Bakery was
perhaps the first step in Ahavas Yisrael between the Ultra-Orthodox Jews and
the anti-religious Kibbutz movement.

16 And in the first day there shall be
to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no manner
of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only
may be done by you.

Unlike Sukkos where Shemini Atzeres is a
separate holiday which concludes Sukkos; Pessach has a Yom Tov but it is not
the Atzeres. The Atzeres falls 50 days later on Chag HaShavuos. [It will only
be in Parsha Emor that we are commanded to observe the Omer and it is logical
there for it is directing us on the Mitzva of entering Eretz Yisrael and here
only what we are to do in leaving Mitzrayim and observance/commemoration for
all generations.]

17 And ye shall observe the feast of
unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the
land of Egypt; therefore shall ye observe this day throughout your generations
by an ordinance forever. 18 In
the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat
unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

I cannot think of every negative command where
it is gets a positive one in return but here it is simple no-leavened and yes
unleavened. Perhaps no Melacha and yes observe Shabbos, adultery is forbidden
but one can take a wife and fulfill the Mitzva of be fruitful and multiply and
I could go on and on.

19 Seven days shall there be no leaven
found in your houses; for whosoever eats that which is leavened, that soul
shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a sojourner, or
one that is born in the land.

That soul shall be cut off from the people is a
grievous sin. It is mentioned here with violation of leaven on Pessach,
profaning the Shabbos, lusting in Adultery or during the Niddah phase of
marriage, idolatry and other forbidden unions. We learn from the secrets of the
Kabbala the following information: Sometimes people have so many merits that
they do live a long life outside of this behavior defect but after 120 years or
less they get judged. The soul is then sent to Kaf Keller prior to Gehennom as
it has to be re-educated prior to purification. Kaf Keller can be for hundreds
of our years and then judgement. Only the worst like Pharaoh, Nazis, Stalin, etc.
are suspended until the finally judgement. So for a few minutes on ones lips or
other pleasures in this world one gets long punishment melted out in the next
world and what portion will they get with the Bnei Yisrael in the next? Will
they be able to see an ordinary Jew but not a Tzaddik – this I do not know?
[All the Kares that I have spoken about is either man vs. HASHEM or two
consulting adults like Lev. 18:22, 20:10 but the murder the punishment is even
greater.]

Even during the Shoah and in Stalin’s camps Jews
tried to bargain to get flour to make Matzos. Others were allowed to eat leaven
for Pekuach Nefesh. {I will add that a person born among the Goyim or on a very
anti-religious Kibbutz, to a Communist Family, etc. if they grew up this way
they are considered a Tinuk that was captured by non-Jews and do not have their
souls cut off.}

21 Then Moses called for all the
elders of Israel, and said unto them: 'Draw out, and take you lambs according
to your families, and kill the passover lamb. 22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood
that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the
blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his
house until the morning.

Hyssop or אֵזוֹב which we know as Origanum syriacum
Marjoram is in modern Arabic and Hebrew Zartar. It usually is a small plant but
in my garden I have let it grown to a length of about half a meter and these
branches are used.

23 For the LORD will pass through to smite
the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two
side-posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer
to come in unto your houses to smite you.

Will pass over: Heb. וּפָסַח, and He will have pity. This
may also be rendered: and He will skip over. See Rashi on verses 11 and 13. and He
will not permit the destroyer: Heb. וְלֹא יִךְתֵּן, lit., and will not
give. [I.e.,] He will not grant him the ability to enter, as in “but God did
not permit him (נְתָנוֹ) to harm me” (Gen. 31:7).

Who is the destroyer – he could be the Angel Gavriel as in
Yechezkel with the destruction of Yerushalayim but there Gavriel also put a Tav
with ink on who will live. Or perhaps here it was Samael aka HaSatan who did
HASHEM’s bidding.

24 And ye shall observe this thing for
an ordinance to thee and to thy sons forever.

Whether in Eretz Yisrael or in a foreign land
all of the Bnei Yisrael are required to observe Pessach.

25 And it shall come to pass, when ye
be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as He hath
promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto
you: What mean ye by this service? 27
that ye shall say: It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, for that He
passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the
Egyptians, and delivered our houses.' And the people bowed the head and
worshipped. 28 And the children
of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

So the children of Israel went and did: Now did
they already do [it]? Wasn’t this said to them on Rosh Chodesh? But since they
accepted upon themselves [to do it], Scripture credits them for it as if they
had [already] done [it]. — [from Mechilta] went
and did: Scripture counts also the going, to give reward for the going
and reward for the deed. — [from Mechilta] as the
Lord commanded Moses and Aaron: [This comes] to tell Israel’s praise, that
they did not omit anything of all the commandments of Moses and Aaron. And what
is the meaning of “so they did” ? Moses and Aaron also did so. — [from
Mechilta]

29 And it came to pass at midnight,
that the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the first-born
of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was
in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle.

And the Lord: Heb. וַה. Wherever it says, “and the Lord,”
it means “He and His tribunal” (Exod. Rabbah 12:4), for the “vav” is an expression
of addition, like “so-and-so and (“vav” ) so-and-so.” smote
every firstborn: Even [a firstborn] of another nation who was in Egypt. — [from
Mechilta] from the firstborn of Pharaoh: Pharaoh,
too, was a firstborn, but he remained [alive] of the firstborn. Concerning him,
He [God] says: “But, for this [reason] I have allowed you to stand, in order to
show you My strength” (Exod. 9:16) at the Red Sea. — [from Mechilta] to the
firstborn of the captive: Because they rejoiced at Israel’s
misfortune (Tanchuma 7), and furthermore, so that they would not say, “Our
deity brought about this retribution” (Mechilta). The firstborn of the slave
woman was included, because [Scripture] counts from the most esteemed to the
lowest, and the firstborn of the slave woman is more esteemed than the
firstborn of the captive. See commentary on Exodus 11:5.

30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night,
he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in
Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

And Pharaoh arose: from his bed. at
night: Unlike the custom of kings, [who rise] three hours after
daybreak. — [from Mechilta] he: [arose]
first, and afterwards his servants. This teaches us that he went around to his
servants’ houses and woke them up. — [from Mechilta] for
there was no house in which no one was dead: If
there was a firstborn, he was dead. If there was no firstborn, the oldest
household member was called the firstborn, as it is said: “I, too, shall make
him [David] a firstborn” (Ps. 89:28) (Tanchuma Buber 19). [Rashi explains
there: I shall make him great.] Another explanation: Some Egyptian women were
unfaithful to their husbands and bore children from bachelors. Thus they would
have many firstborn; sometimes one woman would have five, each one the
firstborn of his father (Mechilta 13:33).

31 And he called for Moses and Aaron
by night and said: 'Rise up, get you forth from among my people, both ye and
the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.

So he called for Moses and Aaron at night: [This]
tells [us] that Pharaoh went around to the entrances [i.e., to the doors of the
houses] of the city, and cried out, “Where is Moses staying? Where is Aaron
staying?” -[from Mechilta] both you: the
men. as well as the children of Israel: The
young children. And go, worship the Lord as you have spoken: Everything
is as you said, not as I said. “Neither will I let Israel out” (Exod. 5:2) is
nullified. “Who and who are going?” (Exod. 10:8) is nullified. “But your flocks
and your cattle shall be left” (Exod. 10:24) is nullified. [Instead,] take also
your flocks and also your cattle. What is [the meaning of] “as you have spoken”?
You too shall give into our hands sacrifices and burnt offerings (Exod. 10:25).
— [from Mechilta]

32 Take both your flocks and your
herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.'

Take… as you have spoken… but you shall also bless me: [I.e.,]
pray for me that I shall not die, for I am a firstborn. — [from Onkelos]

The Medrash says that when he died he was set at the entrance to
Gehennom/Limbo and speaks to the wicked: “Why did you not learn from me?”

33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon
the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said: 'We are all
dead men.'

We are all dead: They said, “This is not in accordance with
Moses’ decree, for he said, ‘And every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die’
(Exod. 11:5), but here, the ordinary people too are dead, five or ten in one
house.” -[from Mechilta] See Rashi on verse 30.

34 And the people took their dough
before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes
upon their shoulders. 35 And the
children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the
Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment.

The Egyptians at this point were willing to do
anything to calm down the wrath of HASHEM.

36 And the LORD gave the people favor
in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And
they despoiled the Egyptians.

37 And the
children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred
thousand men on foot, beside children. 38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and
herds, even very much cattle.

This mixed multitude would cause a lot of
problems in the future.

39 And they baked unleavened cakes of
the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened;
because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they
prepared for themselves any victual. 40 Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was
four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty
years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the host of the LORD
went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night of watching unto the LORD for bringing them out
from the land of Egypt; this same night is a night of watching unto the LORD
for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

We see all sorts of numbers: 430 = from the Bris
between the pieces of the Korban, 400 = from the birth of Yitzchak and 210 =
from the time Yacov and family entered Egypt (Yitzchak was 60 when Yacov was
born and Yacov was 130 when he went before Pharaoh or 190 years from 400 leaves
210) and finally 80 years from the birth of Moshe was the time that slavery
started because of the astrologers.

43 And the LORD
said unto Moses and Aaron: 'This is the ordinance of the Passover: there shall
no alien eat thereof;

Once an old Rabbi was in Bavel and could not due
to his age make the trip to Yerushalayim for Pessach. A certain Gentile would
brag how he went to the holidays of all the gods and the Korban Pessach. He
told the Gentile next time to request the tail fat of the Korban (which is
forbidden). The Rabbis made an inquiry and he was taken care of on the spot by
the people for being a non-Jew who had eaten from our feast where Aliens were
forbidden.

44 but every man's servant that is
bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

A Gentile Slave could eat and a Ger Tzeddek for
he/she is now a Jew in every way but not a Ger Toshav cannot eat.

45 A sojourner and a hired servant
shall not eat thereof. 46
In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh
abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. 47 All the congregation of Israel
shall keep it. 48
And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the Passover to the
LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it;
and he shall be as one that is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person
shall eat thereof. 49
One law shall be to him that is home born, and unto the stranger that sojourns
among you.' 50
Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so
did they.

51 And it came to pass the selfsame
day that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by
their hosts. 13:1 And the LORD
spoke unto Moses, saying: 2
'Sanctify unto Me all the first-born, whatsoever opens the womb among the
children of Israel, both of man and of beast, it is Mine.' 3 And Moses said unto the people:
'Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of
bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place;
there shall no leavened bread be eaten. …
12 that thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that opens the womb;
every firstling that is a male, which thou hast coming of a beast, shall be the
LORD'S. 13 And every firstling
of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then
thou shalt break its neck; and all the first-born of man among thy sons shalt
thou redeem. 14 And it shall be
when thy son asks thee in time to come, saying: What is this? that thou shalt
say unto him: By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the
house of bondage; 15 and it came
to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go that the LORD slew all the firstborn
in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast;
therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that opens the womb, being males; but all
the first-born of my sons I redeem. 16
And it shall be for a sign upon thy hand, and for frontlets between your eyes;
for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.'

Parsha Beshallach

This Parsha starts also with Vayehi and I
mentioned trouble. What trouble – being pinned down at Yam Suf or the lack of
water Bamidbar or the conflict with Amalek.

13:17 And it
came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the
way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said: 'Lest
peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.'

It came to pass when Pharaoh let…that God
did not lead them: Heb. וְלֹא-נָחָם, and did not lead them,
similar to “Go, lead (נְחֵה) the people” (Exod. 32:34) [and] “When you walk, it
shall lead (תִּנְחֶה) you” (Prov. 6:22). for it
was near: and it was easy to return by that road to Egypt. There are also
many aggadic midrashim [regarding this]. when
they see war: For instance, the war of “And the Amalekites and the Canaanites
descended, etc.” (Num. 14:45). If they had gone on a direct route, they would
have returned. Now, if when He led them around in a circuitous route, they
said, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt” (Num. 14:4), how much more
[would they have planned to do this] if He had led them on a direct route?
[According to the sequence of the verse, the headings appear to be transposed.
See Mizrachi, Gur Aryeh, and Minchath Yehudah for a correct solution of this
problem.] Lest…reconsider: They will have [second] thoughts about [the
fact] that they left Egypt and they will think about returning.

I grew up in my early years as basically the only Jew on the block
sure there was a friend of mine who was Jewish but his father was a non-Jew and
was all-American over six foot tall so he got respect. My mentality was from a
father who had escaped the Nazis put me into this type of loop. I was beat up
and picked on by the other kids when they had nothing better to do. I could not
fight those numbers but would have to take my lumps or run. When you develop a
slave mentality or a fleeing mentality it is hard to stand your ground. It was
only in College when I confronted communist, socialists, anarchists in my
classes and in demonstrations who were Jews that I felt a bit braver. You can
imagine a group of people who were slaves for at least a few generations. All
your life whipped by the rulers and Kapos of their day afraid to get out of
line and be whipped perhaps to death or murdered in a quicker fashion. You
would not last in a war situation and would flee. Had it not been from an incident
where I stood up for my rights against people with guns, bats and knives I
might have been a coward to this day. Perhaps we were a Minyan of Jews against
60 violent individuals but I was not alone and although afraid I felt stronger.
It was enough to make me realize that I would be better off defending Eretz
Yisrael than a place in Gallus.

18 But
God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the
children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

A double confusion arises here. Yam Suf in Hebrew
means the sea of reeds which implies a lot of either reeds or sea weed. We have
to remember that in the year 2448 the sea levels were lower and the planet was
warming up from a great ice age. When I displayed the link to film with the
Chariot Wheels in the floor of the Red Sea which is also called Yam Suf in
Modern Hebrew.The area of Nuweiba with
the relatively shallow water minus the current sea level to that ofa sea level of 3300 years ago would only need
a touch from HASHEM to make an earthquake or storm that would change the water
for the night of the crossing. For otherwise why is there a column on the Saudi
Side that states that Moshe crossed the sea there? The same group of religious
observers who attacked Rachel’s Tomb last week and burnt the interior of Yosef’s
Tomb Rosh Hashanah 5761 and another time would not leave it there if it was not
that Mohammed liked Moshe.

And the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt
– see my editorial on the Israeli Elections below.

19 And
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for he had straightly sworn the
children of Israel, saying: 'God will surely remember you; and ye shall carry
up my bones away hence with you.'

for he had adjured: Heb. הִֹשְבִּיעַ
הַֹשְבֵּעַ. [The double expression indicates that] he [Joseph] had made them
[his brothers] swear that they would make their children swear (Mechilta). Now
why did he not make his sons swear to carry him to the land of Canaan
immediately [when he died], as Jacob had made [him] swear? Joseph said, “I was
a ruler in Egypt, and I had the ability to do [this]. As for my sons-the
Egyptians will not let them do [it].” Therefore, he made them swear that when
they would be redeemed and would leave there [Egypt], they would carry him
[out]. — [from Mechilta] and you shall bring up my bones from here
with you: He made his brothers swear in this manner. We learn [from this]
that the bones of all [the progenitors of] the tribes they brought up [out of Egypt]
with them as it is said “with you” -[from Mechilta]

An ordinary promise should be kept all the more so a vow.

20 And
they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the
wilderness. 21 And the LORD went
before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in
a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night: 22 the pillar of cloud by day, and the
pillar of fire by night, departed not from before the people

The Bnei Yisrael get guidance this way but so does Pharaoh for the
Amud HaAish lights up Pharaoh’s way at night too.

14:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 2 'Speak unto the
children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between
Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon, over against it shall ye encamp by the
sea. 3 And Pharaoh will say of
the children of Israel: They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath
shut them in. 4 And I will
harden Pharaoh's heart, and he shall follow after them; and I will get Me honor
upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the
LORD.' And they did so.

HASHEM will take care of Pharaoh and his army
once and for all and that will be the end of the story. The Bnei Yisrael will finally
be able to erase all fears of Pharaoh from their memories.

5 And it was told the king of Egypt
that the people were fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was
turned towards the people, and they said: 'What is this we have done, that we
have let Israel go from serving us? 6
And he made ready his chariots, and took his people with him. 7 And he took six hundred chosen
chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them.

Pharaoh is mounting a war with 600 equivalents of
tanks. However, if it were not scared slaves fleeing Pharaoh but soldiers the
logic would be 1000 men per chariot. It might cost us a few losses but
eventually we will overcome them. However, former slaves will not think this
way and flees.

8 And the LORD hardened the heart of
Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel; for the
children of Israel went out with a high hand. 9 And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and
chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them
encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the
children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians were
marching after them; and they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel
cried out unto the LORD. 11 And
they said unto Moses: 'Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken
us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to
bring us forth out of Egypt?

We have gotten used to in modern times over
1,000,000 Egyptians under arms with more cannons and tanks vs. about 100,000
plus Israelis and now the reverse is true about 500 to 1 in favor of Israel.

12 Is not this the word that we spoke
unto thee in Egypt, saying: Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For
it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the
wilderness.' 13 And Moses said
unto the people: 'Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD,
which He will work for you to-day; for whereas ye have seen the Egyptians
to-day, ye shall see them again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'

Miraculously the Egyptian threat is going to
end.

15 And the LORD said unto Moses:
'Wherefore are you crying unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they
go forward. 16 And lift thou up
thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children
of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. 17 And I, behold, I will harden the
hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them; and I will get Me
honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his
horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians
shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honor upon Pharaoh, upon
his chariots, and upon his horsemen.' 19
And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went
behind them; and the pillar of cloud removed from before them, and stood behind
them; 20 and it came between the
camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness
here, yet gave it light by night there; and the one came not near the other all
the night.

If I was an Egyptian, I would be scared out of
my wits it is not a war with a regular man. But then again Pharaoh claimed
divinity.

21 And Moses stretched out his hand
over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all
the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went
into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto
them on their right hand, and on their left.

Did the wind chill factor cause the sea to
freeze on the right and on the left and the ground to be dry and hard for the
night? Again a natural event at the right time and place which occurred once in
history at the right time and place!

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went
in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots,
and his horsemen. 24 And it came
to pass in the morning watch, that the LORD looked forth upon the host of the
Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and discomfited the host of
the Egyptians. 25 And He took
off their chariot wheels, and made them to drive heavily; so that the Egyptians
said: 'Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fights for them
against the Egyptians.'

Good Morning now you realize this after 10
plagues!

15:1 Then sang Moses and the children of
Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the LORD,
for He is highly exalted; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. 2 The LORD is my strength and song,
and He is become my salvation; this is my God, and I will glorify Him; my
father's God, and I will exalt Him. 3
The LORD is a man of war, The LORD is His name. 4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea, and
his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea. 5 The deeps cover them--they went down into the depths like a
stone. 6 Thy right hand, O LORD,
glorious in power, Thy right hand, O LORD, dashes in pieces the enemy. 7 And in the greatness of YOUR
excellency You overthrow them that rise up against Thee; You send forth Thy
wrath, it consumes them as stubble. 8
And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were piled up--the floods stood
upright as a heap; the deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said: 'I will pursue, I
will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I
will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.' 10 Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank
as lead in the mighty waters. 11
Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the mighty? who is like unto Thee,
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 Thou stretched out Thy right
hand--the earth swallowed them. 13
Thou in Thy love hast led the people that Thou hast redeemed; Thou hast guided
them in Thy strength to Thy holy habitation. 14 The peoples have heard, they tremble; pangs have taken hold on
the inhabitants of Philistia. 15
Then were the chiefs of ETdom affrighted; the
mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold upon them; all the inhabitants of
Canaan are melted away. 16
Terror and dread falls upon them; by the greatness of YOUR arm they are as
still as a stone; till Thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over
that Thou hast gotten. 17 Thou
bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of YOUR inheritance, the place, O
LORD, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, the sanctuary, O Lord, which
Thy hands have established. 18
The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. 19
For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into
the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the
children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.

This is the famed song
by the sea that we pray every morning.

20 And Miriam the prophetess, the
sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after
her with timbrels and with dances. 21
And Miriam sang unto them: Sing ye to the LORD, for He is highly exalted: the
horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. 22 And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out
into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and
found no water. 23 And when they
came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were
bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying: 'What shall we
drink?'

This is test number one of the ten mentioned in
Perkei Avos.

25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the
LORD showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were
made sweet. There He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He
proved them; 26 and He said: 'If
thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that
which is right in His eyes, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all
His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon
the Egyptians; for I am the LORD that heals thee.' 27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and
three score and ten palm-trees; and they encamped there by the waters. 16:1 And they took their journey from
Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the
wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the
second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

Ah here there is fortunately no problem with the
water but wait test number two.

2 And the whole congregation of the
children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; 3 and the children of Israel said unto
them: 'Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt,
when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have
brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with
hunger.' Then said the LORD unto Moses: 'Behold, I will cause to rain bread
from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion
every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or not. 5 And it shall come to pass on the
sixth day that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be
twice as much as they gather daily.' 6
And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel: 'At even, then ye
shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt; 7 and in the morning, then ye shall
see the glory of the LORD; for that He hath heard your murmurings against the
LORD; and what are we, that ye murmur against us?' 8 And Moses said: 'This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in
the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the
LORD hears your murmurings which ye murmur against Him; and what are we? your
murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.' 9 And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Say unto all the congregation of the
children of Israel: Come near before the LORD; for He hath heard your
murmurings.' 10 And it came to
pass, as Aaron spoke unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel,
that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD
appeared in the cloud.

Why did they have to
murmur and rebel instead of praying? And the flesh was test number three.

11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 12 'I have heard the
murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak unto them, saying: At dusk ye shall
eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know
that I am the LORD your God.' 13
And it came to pass at even, that the quails came up, and covered the camp; and
in the morning there was a layer of dew round about the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew was gone
up, behold upon the face of the wilderness a fine, scale-like thing, fine as
the hoar-frost on the ground. 15
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: 'What is
it?'--for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them: 'It is the bread
which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16
This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded: Gather ye of it every man
according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of your
persons, shall ye take it, every man for them that are in his tent.' 17 And the children of Israel did so,
and gathered some more, some less. 18
And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over,
and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to
his eating. 19 And Moses said
unto them: 'Let no man leave of it till the morning.' 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them
left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and rotted; and Moses was
wroth with them. 21 And they
gathered it morning by morning, every man according to his eating; and as the
sun waxed hot, it melted. 22 And
it came to pass that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two
omers for each one; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
23 And he said unto them: 'This
is that which the LORD hath spoken: To-morrow is a solemn rest, a holy sabbath
unto the LORD. Bake that which ye will bake, and seethe that which ye will
seethe; and all that remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the
morning.' 24 And they laid it up
till the morning, as Moses bade; and it did not rot, neither was there any worm
therein. 25 And Moses said: 'Eat
that to-day; for to-day is a sabbath unto the LORD; to-day ye shall not find it
in the field. 26 Six days ye
shall gather it; but on the seventh day is the sabbath, in it there shall be
none.' 27 And it came to pass on
the seventh day, that there went out some of the people to gather, and they
found none.

Now we have the sanctification of Shabbos from
the week days.

28 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'How
long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws? 29 See that the LORD hath given you the sabbath; therefore He
giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his
place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.' 30 So the people rested on the seventh
day. 31 And the house of Israel
called the name thereof Manna; and it was like coriander seed, white; and the
taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 And Moses said: 'This is the thing which the LORD hath
commanded: Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations; that they
may see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you
forth from the land of Egypt.' 33
And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Take a jar, and put an omerful of manna therein,
and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept throughout your generations.' 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so
Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel did eat the manna forty years, until
they came to a land inhabited; they did eat the manna, until they came unto the
borders of the land of Canaan. 36
Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.

Even though this is before the 10 sayings, the
Shabbos was observed!

17:1 And all the congregation of the
children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages,
according to the commandment of the LORD, and encamped in Rephidim; and there
was no water for the people to drink. 2
Wherefore the people strove with Moses, and said: 'Give us water that we may
drink.' And Moses said unto them: 'Why strive ye with me? wherefore do ye try
the LORD?'

Test number four.

3 And the people thirsted there for
water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said: 'Wherefore hast thou
brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with
thirst?' 4 And Moses cried unto
the LORD, saying: 'What shall I do unto this people? they are almost ready to
stone me.' 5 And the LORD said
unto Moses: 'Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of
Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smote the river, take in thy hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee
there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall
come water out of it, that the people may drink.' And Moses did so in the sight
of the elders of Israel. 7 And
the name of the place was called Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving
of the children of Israel, and because they tried the LORD, saying: 'Is the
LORD among us, or not?'

After they became weak
in faith came Amalek.

8 Then came Amalek, and fought with
Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses
said unto Joshua: 'Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I
will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.' 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to
him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of
the hill. 11 And it came to
pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down
his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But
Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he
sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side,
and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down
of the sun. 13 And Joshua
discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses:
'Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua:
for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.' 15 And Moses built an altar, and
called the name of it Adonai-nissi. 16
And he said: 'The hand upon the throne of the LORD: the LORD will have war with
Amalek from generation to generation.'

Lance Armstrong’s
confession is a shock to our humanity system. The seven- time winner of the
prestigious Tour de France, and one of this era’s most admired athletes, has
all along been using illegal Performance Enhancing Drugs in the most
sophisticated doping scheme in sports history, all the while indignantly
proclaiming his honesty and integrity.

How
can a human being do such a thing? It was not so much the doping – bad enough –
that wounded us; it was the ongoing, passionate declarations of aggrieved
innocence that betrayed us and played us for fools.

It was
a form of moral violence committed against millions of people who trusted him.
Though he did not attack us with guns and bullets, it was traumatic
nevertheless, for this was a spiritual assault on our ability to trust in other
human beings. He gave new meaning to the concept of hypocrisy, and thus
affronted our innate sense of truth and integrity.

A
society cannot long exist without this sense of trust in one another, without
some standards of truth. No amount of legislation can help against such
onslaughts. Note well the words of the Sages that one of the three pillars on
which the world exists in the pillar of emet, Truth (Avot I:18).

A
violation like this forces us to ask ourselves: who are we really? Are we
inherently evil, or are we angels? Jewish tradition says that we are an amalgam
of both. We can climb as high as the heavens or we can sink lower than the
beast. We can choose life and contentment for ourselves and for others, or we
can choose misery and virtual death for ourselves and for those around us. This
is what the Torah in Deut.30:19 means when it tells us that God places before
us both life and death, and urges us to “choose life.”

There
are certain bedrock elements of human life that we violate only at our peril —
not as a punishment for misdeeds, but because they are built into the fabric of
the universe. Just as a tall building with a faulty foundation will eventually
cave in under its own weight, so also a life — or a society, or a nation —
built on shoddy moral foundations will ultimately disintegrate. Truth and
integrity are the bedrock elements without which life collapses. Falsehood
bears within it the seeds of its own inevitable destruction. Deprived of the
bedrock, disintegration is inescapable. This explains why the three-letter
Hebrew word for truth, emet, is mentioned almost 150 times in the Bible,
and why this word is inscribed on God’s seal (Talmud, Shabbat 55a). The
disgraced lives of so many people in public life – climaxed now by Armstrong’s
self-inflicted humiliation — are cautionary tales about living without the
undergirding of truth.

Anatomy of a Lie

Armstrong
is a one-man morality play, a study in the anatomy of a lie. All lies start out
as babies. In this case, one can speculate that perhaps the first time he used
PED was because he had recently recovered from his dread illness and needed
some assistance. It worked its magic, so he did it again – and again and again.
The baby lie grew up, matured, and developed into bolder falsehoods involving
many other people. Then he had to cover up his lie which, given his
intelligence and his clean reputation, was so easy to do that he kept doing it
and kept re-inventing himself. Ultimately he surely began to believe that his
deceitfulness and duplicity were the truth, and that those who challenged his lies
with truth were themselves liars. He even sued in court and won cases against
those who challenged his honesty.

Lying
to others is one thing; the Armstrong lesson is that lying to one’s own self is
much easier and much more insidious. In interpersonal relationships, in
friendships, in marriages, in commerce, in social life, baby lies tend to
mature and to envelope the liar in their own webs. This is why the Torah in
Exodus 23:14 does not simply say, “Do not lie, “ but instead says, Midvar
sheker tirchak – ”Distance yourself from falsehood,” warning us not only
not to violate this sin, but to keep away from it as we would from a pestilence
— whether against others or one’s own self.

Can
Armstrong be forgiven and redeemed? The Talmud states: “Whoever transgresses
and is embarrassed by it, all his sins are forgiven” (Berachot 12b).
This is because to admit one’s sins is one of the most difficult things for a
person to do. He confessed in public before millions of viewers — which is
appropriate, having lied to millions of fans over the years. Nothing stands in
the face of true repentance, and only time will tell if his repentance is
genuine. One hopes that it is not a ploy, as some are suggesting, getting his
penalties reduced in order to compete once again. Given his past performance –
and “performance” is the precise word – one can be forgiven for being a bit
skeptical , especially since his confession came only after there was
overwhelming evidence against him..

L’affaire
Armstrong underscores the comment of the Sages: sheker ein lah raglayim – “falsehood
has no leg to stand on.” Note that the Hebrew word for falsehood, sheker,
has a shin, a kof and a reish. In the normative Ashkenazic
script, each of these three letters has only one leg, and thus cannot stand on
its own. But in the word for truth, emet, each of its three letters aleph,
mem, tof, has two solid legs. God is the God of Truth, Emet, the
Torah is Torat Emet, a Torah of Truth, and neither can abide deviations
from Truth. Though falsehood seems to fly high for a while, that is only
temporary. Ultimately it self-destructs because by definition it is anti-God
and has no leg to stand on.

Am I sorry with the Israeli Elections Result?- Yes and no!

Benyamin Netanyahu
has basically been running a left – center agenda for years. He has let Ehud
Barak do his dirty work of removing settlers from the heart of Eretz Yisrael. I
am happy that he got his wings clipped for he was getting to brazen. I was
furious that he goes and spits in the face of the world with his big mouth
about building in E1 and then recants infuriating the Jews. Why can’t he put a
stopper on his mouth? First put his brain in gear then build. Then when the
world goes quack – quack at it you announce it is part of the capitol of my
country. I do not like people who are all talk and no do. Perkei Avos calls
them students of Bilaam and not of Avraham Avinu. A Tzaddik does and then
perhaps talks with the exception of Moshe who announced the plagues for it was
HASHEM who did them and he was just the messenger. For the first five Pharaoh
had the right to repent but for the second five Moshe got more specific.

I am not
disappointed if the government will find a solution to those who sit and
vegetate in Yeshivos and Kollelim instead of learning and teaching. These
people should be out earning if they are not learning. I sent an article in
Hebrew about my cousin who knows six languages. At the age of 15 he substituted
for the local Rabbi and filled in at another Congregation. He was teaching
Torah. I recently got his transposition of Rabbi Sabato’s Drasha in English,
Hebrew and French from him. He is now learning twelve hours a day with tests
for a few years to enable him to take over a Congregation somewhere where
either, French, English, Hebrew or German is spoken his other languages are
ancient Greek and Latin which are not really practically in use by Jews. He was
also acting as a kosher liaison and paramedic in the Israeli Army.

Yair Lapid has
offered the Yeshiva Boys 5 years of study and then either the army or national
service. Only the top notch fellows will remain with the Rabbinical Exemption.
It did not bother my son, cousin and even I preferred being a paramedic on
border patrol than a Kashrus Inspector in a kitchen in the center of the
country. It is all a matter of conscience. I can at least look wounded warriors
in the eye for I did what they perhaps did or close to it but I was lucky. My
son had a cinder block thrown at his head in Gaza. Service is not a picnic and
perhaps losing Torah Time but when we read: 13:18 and the children of Israel
went up armed out of the land of Egypt. There is no mention that Moshe, Aaron
and the Bnei Yisrael were wasting Torah Time walking and carrying arms. I had
to kick out of my Kollel people who were not serious and others who were
serious left for they were non-Dayan Kollel. I too have been missing in action
from my Kollel helping people with their problems or aiding them to Orthodoxy
and this Drasha is read weekly by between one and two thousand people so the
public comes before the individual which is me in this case. I have been at
times playing the Daf Yomi in the background to get in a little learning for
myself why working on copying and pasting the Rashi or Scripture.

Other social reforms
are needed but I just hope that this time Netanyahu will make some cuts rather
than burdening the poor and middle classes and families with many children. What
is perhaps sad from the election is good people like Rabbi Absalom and Rabbi
Amnon Yitzchak took at least 2 or 3 mandates away from Shass and close to two
mandates were lost with the further right party losing by 9,000 votes. It has
been in the past 3 Knesset Elections that the nation voted for the right but
they got the action and policy of the left. It is time to put a person true to
his principles in power in the future.

Good Shabbos Everyone. In this week’s Torah portion Bo, Hashem
commands us regarding the mitzvah of tefillin. As the Torah tells us, the
tefillin “shall be for you a sign on your arm and a reminder between your eyes
- so that Hashem’s Torah may be in your mouth – for with a strong hand Hashem
removed you from Egypt.” (Exodus - Shemos 13:9) The Sages teach us that “Man
always needs a sign of his bond with G-d. Shabbos itself is such a sign, but on
weekdays, the sign is tefillin.” (Eruvin 96a)
We began reading last week
about the Reb Yitzchok Zilber who managed to smuggle Tefillin into a labor camp
in Russian, where he put on Tefillin secretly under the threat of death.
Every Jewish male reading these words must ask himself: How much do I appreciate
the opportunity to put on Tefillin every day? We now conclude last
week's inspiring story...
...One day, all of the
inmates were summoned to the dining hall for an emergency meeting. The tables
were filling up quickly, and at the front of the room, sitting alone at a long
table, was the camp commander. The room, although filled to capacity, was dead
silent.
The men looked tensely at the
floor, at the ceiling, at each other. No one wanted to meet the commander's
eyes, for it could never be good to be noticed.
"Yitzchok Zilber, come to
the front," the commander's somber voice announced.
Reb Yitzchok sat frozen in place. He could not imagine what he had done to draw
this terrifying attention to himself. One of the camp officers rose to his feet
and delivered the withering accusation. "Everyone is this camp is treated
equally," he proclaimed. "We all work as hard as we can for our
country. We all share in a common goal. However, you ..." and the officer
pointed a finger at the rabbi, "think you are different. You think we are
fools, and that we don't know that you never work on Saturdays. You are a lazy
traitor!"
The word caught like a
wildfire. The inmates began chanting "Traitor, traitor," and
threatening to kill the man who dared beat the system.
Reb Yitzchok feared that the
enraged mob of inmates would get him before the authorities even had their
chance. Either way, it was in Hashem's hands; he whispered a prayer. A small
commotion broke out in the crowd as two big Ukrainians inmates rose from their
seats.
These two were known as
hard-core anti-Semites, but it wasn't only the Jews who needed to fear them.
They were tough, sadistic men whose eyes seemed more animal than human.
"Listen, everyone!" they shouted. "No one had better dare to
touch the Kaziner (the name by which Reb Yitzchok was known in camp). If they
do, then we will kill them. Do you hear me? We are here for life, so trust me
when I say this. I have nothing to lose.
"I have been in this camp
for 15 years and there has never been enough water to drink. But ever since the
Kaziner has come, we have had enough water." Their point made, the men sat
down. Reb Yitzchok sat in his seat in shock; the most unexpected of saviors had
come to his rescue. The inmates, including Reb Yitzchok, were all
dismissed.
Reb Yitzchok spent many long,
hard years in that camp. One day, he was informed that he would be transferred
to a new location. The news was unwelcome, for although life was extremely
difficult where he was, he had succeeded in obtaining what he considered the
necessities of life. Nevertheless, he was given no choice, and he would have to
go where they took him.
As the inmates stood in line to
leave, each was told to empty his belongings onto the snow. There, the guards
would inspect the items, searching for contraband and valuables. Reb Yitzchok
knew that if they found his religious articles, he would be shot right there.
He had hidden them under a plate, spoon and cup that he had taken with him to
avoid eating from the camp's treife dishes.
However, if the guard chose to
make a more aggressive search, the tefillin and sefarim would easily be found.
Fortunately, the guard found the tableware enough of a subject of mockery that
he not longer feel the urge to look further. "Look!" he shouted to
his fellow guard. "Our plates aren't good enough for the Rabbi! He came
with his own!" His taunting smile turned to a ferocious scowl as he slammed
the suitcase shut. He lifted it up high and brought it crashing down on Reb
Yitzchok's head.
"Here's your plate and spoon. Get out of here!" he sneered, and
walked on to the next inmate.
Reb Yitzchok's head was
stinging from the blow, but his heart was laughing. He thanked Hashem for
saving him once again. It seemed certain that just as he would never give up on
Hashem, Hashem would never give up on Reb Yitzchok, either. Eventually
Reb Yitzchok merited living in Eretz Yisroel where he founded the organization Toldos Yeshurin which
helps to educate Russian Jews.Good Shabbos Everyone. M. Wolfberg and not
my Drasha isSponspored
by Ezra Solomon on behalf of the Solomon and Freidman families l’zecher nishmas their father
and grandfather R’ Moshe Ben R’ Tzvi ZT"L whose yarzeit falls on out on this
Shabbos. In memory of R' Yaakov ben Naftoly, of blessed memory, In
Memory of Reb Yitzchok ben Reb Shimon (Friedman) of blessed memory,In Memory of Tziporah
Yita bas Mordechai Mendel Refuah
Shleima to Reb Mordechai Menachem Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta Refuah
Shleima to Tsviah bas Bracha Leah